Koprivnica-Križevci County Koprivničko-križevačka županija |
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County | |||
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Koprivnica-Križevci County within Croatia |
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Country | Croatia | ||
County seat | Koprivnica | ||
Government | |||
• Prefect | Darko Koren (MREŽA) | ||
• Assembly |
41 members
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Area | |||
• Total | 1,748 km2 (675 sq mi) | ||
Population (2011) | |||
• Total | 115,584 | ||
• Density | 66/km2 (170/sq mi) | ||
Area code | 048 | ||
ISO 3166 code | HR-06 | ||
Website | www |
Koprivnica-Križevci County (Croatian: Koprivničko-križevačka županija [kǒpriːʋnit͡ʃko-krǐːʒeʋat͡ʃkaː ʒupǎnija]; Hungarian: Kapronca-Körös megye) is a county in northern Croatia. Its hyphenated name comes from two entities: the two of its largest cities, Koprivnica and Križevci.
Koprivnica is the official capital of the county. It was first mentioned in 1272 in a document by prince Ladislaus IV of Hungary and was declared a free royal town by king Ludovic I in 1356. It has flourished as a trading place and a military fortress since that time.
The military aspect set it back when it was included in the Military Frontier in the 16th century during the wars with the Ottoman Turks. After Maria Theresa's decree of 1765, however, it resumed life as a peaceful little merchant town.
Koprivnica developed significantly in the 20th century with the advent of the Podravka food industry, and is known worldwide for its Vegeta spice.
Križevci, on the other hand, as a smaller city and second mentioned in the county name, may seem like an underdog to its neighbour Koprivnica. Its first mention was from 1193 by Béla III but it was divided into two parts which developed at different rates.
After centuries of division, empress Maria Theresa united the Lower and Upper Križevac into Križevci in 1752. The town was also hit by the wars with the Turks, but it regained importance in 1871 when the railway was built through it on the way from Budapest to Rijeka.